Originally published: September 24, 2012

Subaru wants a bigger piece of the Canadian automotive pie and it is banking on some new products to whet the appetite of consumers in the Great White North.

With sales on pace for about 30,000 units in 2012, Ted Lalka, Subaru Canada vice-president of product planning, said that represents about two per cent of the Canadian market.

But the Japanese automaker is looking to increase that figure to three per cent, which is where it already stands in the Quebec market.

Despite the challenges, Lalka believes the national figure is realistic.

To help them reach that target, Subaru has unveiled some new and innovative products this year, including their EyeSight system, as well as the BRZ, a two-door, rear-wheel drive sports cars that is really unlike anything the company has offered before.

Continuing in that trend is the latest addition to the Subaru lineup, the XV Crosstrek.

At first glance, you might be hard-pressed to figure out where the XV sits in the market. It is a car? A station wagon? The answer is that it’s considered a compact SUV, and after some drive time with it, there’s no doubt it lives up to that segment’s capabilities.

Lalka says that the XV sits somewhere between the Impreza sedan and the Forester SUV, which makes sense since it offers sedan-like qualities with the off-road capabilities of the Forester thanks to the 220 millimetres in ground clearance, the highest it its segment.

The XV will compete with the likes of the Hyundai Tucson, Nissan Juke and Rogue, the Mitsubishi RVR and the MINI Coutryman.

The XV arrived in Subaru showrooms in mid-August and Quebec journalists were given the chance to get behind the wheel for the first time near the end of the month on road and trails near the town of Ayer’s Cliff – about 140 kilometres southeast of Montreal.

The area provided us with a good mix of highway, city, rural and off-road conditions – where the XV especially excelled.

Powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder BOXER engine that generates 148 horsepower and 145 foot-pounds of torque, the XV has adequate power but it doesn’t overwhelm by any means.

When the prospect of a turbocharger added to the engine was brought up, Subaru reps didn’t shoot down the idea, so one never knows. That would take the XV experience to a whole other level.

The standard transmission is a five-speed manual transmission that is effective if a little outdated since many carmakers now use six-speed transmissions or higher. In fifth gear and travelling at highway speeds, I found the engine revving at about 3,500 rpm, which is rather high and can get annoying inside the cabin.

The optional transmission is lineartronic continuously variable transmission with paddle shifters. This is Subaru’s second-generation CVT and it is a vast improvement over the previous version. However, I found it useful to hit the paddle shifters and force it into higher or lower “gears.” When downshifting, this allows you to benefit from engine braking, just like you would in a manual transmission.

Subaru expects up to 20 per cent of XV sales in Canada will be with a manual transmission, which is a much higher percentage than most vehicles. Both gearboxes come with a hill holder system.

Inside, the XV has a comfortable and spacious cabin, with lots of rear legroom and great visibility thanks to slim A pillars and lots of windows.

I really like the XV’s interior, which is kept simple but is still well appointed. The seats were comfortable and the climate system is controlled via large dials in the centre stack.

There is a sea of black plastic, though, especially on the passenger side as the dash seems to go on forever. But with all the windows flooding the cabin with light, it was easily forgotten.

What is also nice about the XV is the list of standard equipment, which includes automatic climate control, Bluetooth, heated seats, mirrors and windshield washer nozzles and a six-speaker audio system – oh and, of course, Subaru’s vaunted all-wheel drive system.

The five-seat XV can also hold up to 51.9 cubic feet of cargo thanks to the 60/40 fold-flat rear seats. It can also tow up to 1,500 pounds, making it extremely versatile.

If you can live without leather, a sunroof and a navigation system, there isn’t much more you will need.

The base price for the XV Crosstrek Limited is $24,495, the Sport model sells for $26,495 and the Touring trim goes for $28,995. The CVT is a $1,300 option.